PARIS, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath has denied Mahmoud Abbas or Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia will replace Yasser Arafat while he is hospitalized in Paris.
Sources close to the Palestinian leadership had told CNN Qureia and Abbas had agreed Abbas should become leader in the event Arafat died or becomes incapacitated.
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat said Qureia and Abbas had assumed additional responsibilities during Arafat's absence. However, Shaath told reporters there would not be any change to the structure of the Palestine Liberation Organization or the Palestinian National Authority, reported Xinhua, China's main government-run news agency.
The PLO said the ailing Arafat underwent a medical examination at a Paris hospital Saturday.
"He woke up in a good mood, in good shape after a real rest," said PLO representative Leila Shahid in Paris. "He feels generally better; his general condition is better."
While Shahid said tests exclude leukemia "for the time being," it's not clear what the 75-year-old Arafat's ailment is, CNN reported Sunday.
